Nutritional factors that can favorably influence the glucose/insulin system: vanadium.
A growing body of experimental and clinical research indicates that the trace element, vanadium, exerts potent insulin-mimetic effects in vitro and in vivo when used in pharmacological doses. Since our first demonstration of the anti-diabetic and cardioprotective effects of vanadium in vivo, impressive advances have been made in our understanding of its mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. A major advance in the use of vanadium as an insulin-mimetic has been the development of organic vanadium complexes which are 2 to 3 times as potent as inorganic vanadium and have been extensively studied in our laboratory. There is an emerging role for the use of vanadium in human diabetes and the recently conducted clinical trials support this contention. The present review summarizes some of the key aspects of vanadium biology which exemplify the potent insulin-mimetic, anti-diabetic and antihypertensive effects of this intriguing trace element.
Verma
S
S
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Cam
M C
MC
McNeill
J H
JH
D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D014639:Vanadium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D014639:Vanadium